Is Air Travel Dangerous For Vertigo?
I travel for both personal and business reasons, so that means I travel a lot – mostly by air. I’ve met some very interesting people in my travels and given my profession, my ability to communicate with others has led to some enlightening discussions.
Many people tell me that either by traveling air or car makes their vertigo worse. Sometimes vertigo happens to be the common topic.
There are no certain conditions that cause vertigo and the cause is not always known. What does vertigo mean? It means spinning or whirling that is due to the disturbance in the balance of equilibrium. Vertigo is not considered as a disease, it’s a mere symptom.
The major cause of vertigo is because of a disorder in vestibular system. It can also be due to some problem with the central vestibular system. One of vertigo’s symptom is dizziness. But it do not mean that everyone with dizziness has vertigo.
I have also noted that people who have a problem with height do not fear flying. Many people link vertigo to fear of height due to the Alfred Hitchcock movie. This is linked because both the symptoms are similar dizziness and nausea.
There are different types of vertigo but the most common type of vertigo is BPPV. The onset is usually sudden and tends to last for less than a minute. It is almost always caused by sudden head movements.
Nystagmus (shaking of the eye), nausea, vomiting and sweating are some of the symptoms. After some months the attack can either stop or increase. In some rare cases the attack will be for longer time. Your physician is the best person to advice you on vertigo, he may teach you some neck exercises to avoid vertigo.
Most people who have this type of vertigo have no issue with the movement of travel but rather, the positioning of their head on the seat. This is what could bring on symptoms for these types of sufferers.
Alcohol can induce temporary vertigo and should therefore be avoided if flying and especially if driving.
Although not as common, psychogenic vertigo is vertigo caused by a psychological disorder such as anxiety or panic disorder. If suffering from this disorder, traveling could initiate or make symptoms worse.
Motion sickness is what suffered by many travelers. he motion of travel can affect the parts of the inner ear that help control balance. This happens most when traveling by boat but can by auto and plane travel.
The symptoms include nausea, dizziness, headache, cold sweats, hyperventilation (which could lead to faintness) and usually vomiting. Just like vertigo the symptoms are pretty quick.
You can help prevent motion sickness by: keeping your gaze steady and head as still as possible, not smoking, not drinking, not reading, and getting fresh air.
There are several drugs available to treat motion sickness, even over the counter; however, they all cause drowsiness and in children and infants can cause agitation.
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Christian Goodman is a best known health researcher and the author of several revolutionary natural health alternative ways. One of his most popular breakthroughs is his all natural The Vertigo And Dizziness Program. You can know more about Christian on his Alternative health Blog.
